A New Binding Motif of Sterically Demanding Thiolates on a Gold Cluster

A gold cluster, Au41(S-Eind)12, was synthesized by ligating the bulky arenethiol 1,1,3,3,5,5,7,7-octaethyl-s-hydrindacene-4-thiol (Eind-SH) to preformed Au clusters. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the fragmentation pattern in the mass spectrometry analysis indicated that formation of gold–thiolate oligomers at the interface was suppressed, in sharp contrast to conventional thiolate-protected Au clusters.